“I am not marrying you.”
“Yes.” He kissed the corner of her lips. “You are, Duchess.”
“I am the daughter of a duke, not the wife of one,” she blurted, her mind whirling as if she had just spun about in a dozen circles. “I am not a duchess.”
He made her feel dizzied and overheated.
And confused.
“I know what you are.” He kissed the other corner of her mouth, then her cheek. “Even rats from the East End know the difference between a duchess and the daughter of one.”
“Mr. Winter ought not to have spoken so harshly,” she managed.
He had kissed his way to her ear now. Adele could not suppress the shiver that went down her spine. He was making her weak, with his proximity and his wicked mouth. It was not fair that a man like him should be so beautiful, so tempting, that he could kiss and touch and caress her to the point she forgot the difference between right and wrong.
“Brother dearest is right.” He kissed her neck. “Iama rat from the rookeries.”
She flattened her hands on his chest, but instead of pushing him away, her fingers had curled into the soft fabric of his shirt. She was holding him there, tilting her head, resting it upon the iced pane behind her.
“But why are you here?” she forced herself to ask. “Why are you not in London?”
He smiled against her skin. “Because my little bird flew away, and I had to find her so I can bring her back to me where she belongs.”
“I do not belong in your world.” Her eyes slid closed as he sucked on her flesh as if he could devour her.
“You do now.” The sharp brush of his teeth against her collarbone sent a spark of painful pleasure through her. “I am claiming you.”
It was difficult to think with his big body surrounding her, his scent enveloping her. He was turning her insides into honey. She wanted him to claim her. She wanted everything he was saying, each touch, his mouth on her, his hands. All the reasons why she should not succumb to him dissipated beneath his potent seduction.
Sternly, she summoned them to return. “I do not want to be claimed.”
“You should have thought about that before you came to The Devil’s Spawn and made a bargain with the devil himself.” His lips moved lower, traveling over her breasts. “Do you want to save your brother, Duchess, or do you want to be stubborn?”
She wanted to be stubborn and safe and far from this man. But she also wanted to make certain Max remained unharmed. And she could not deny that she wanted Dominic Winter’s kisses. A wicked, restless part of herwantedhim to claim her.
He tugged on her bodice, and her breasts sprang free of her stays. Cool air kissed them, her nipples hard and throbbing. Adele could not form an answer as he took one in his mouth and sucked. Liquid heat shot from her breast to the apex of her thighs.
Her knees went weak, but when she would have melted into a puddle on the floor, he held her against the window. The contrast between the cold, slick glass at her back and the heated man filling her with so much fire only heightened her awareness.
His tongue flicked over the peak of her breast.
She told herself this was wrong. That she did not dare trust Dominic Winter.
But then the door to her chamber flew open, and an angry shout and a feminine gasp of outrage echoed through the room, above the mad pounding of her heart. Dom swiftly tugged her bodice back into place, covering her.
The grin he flashed her was undeniably smug. “I reckon your decision has been made for you, love.”
One glimpse at the grim countenances of her host and hostess over Dominic Winter’s shoulder proved him right. Her heart plummeted to the soles of her slippers.
Chapter 9
“Iwant your promise, Mr. Winter.”
Foolish chit. She was utterly lovely in her cream gown with a scarlet sash beneath her generous bosom. Her eyes flashed with fire, her proud chin tilted up in challenge. Did she still think she possessed any of the power in this little tragedy of theirs? She would discover the difference soon enough.
Dom raised a brow, allowing his gaze to sweep from her head to her toes. “Has no one ever told you promises can be broken?”
“If you break your promise to me, I will be the one who carves out your eye,” she told him, her bravado in fine form today, the day of their wedding.
